"As an entertainer you have fun and it's all about the context it's used in," she said. "I am an African-American woman, so I can identify with that word in different ways.

"It's all about the context and in my case I know I can have fun because I know where I'm coming from with it. You have to be light-hearted and it has to be in a certain way. I cannot hear another person of another race saying, 'you this' like 'you that'. Again, it's all about how you say it and what context it's used in."

Ciara also suggested that the term has "as much power as you give it", saying: "It doesn't mean that same thing that it could have meant years ago, especially when we can have fun about it."

However, the singer said that she is about "empowering women" and "empowering herself", adding: "As a human being, I would never use any word that would be degrading to myself... or to anyone else."